Transducer array imaging system

• US 8,656,783 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Randall, Kevin S., Klessel, Jodi Schwartz, Lannutti, Anthony P., Urbano, Joseph A., Weymer, Raymond F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAINT SURIN, JACQUES M
• Application Number:
  US11/595,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20080114252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,664 Days
• Field of Search: 736/02, 736/18, 736/20, 736/23, 736/25, 736/26, 736/28, 600/407, 600/437, 600/442, 600/446, 600/447, 600/459
• US Class Current: 73/628
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4422 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8918 the array being linear
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52028 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a method, system, and device for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium. The novel method includes transmitting a non-beamformed or beamformed ultrasound wave into the medium, receiving more than one echoed ultrasound wave from the medium, and converting the received echoed ultrasound wave into digital data. The novel method may further transmit the digital data. In some embodiments, the transmitting may be wireless. The novel device may include transducer elements, an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the transducer elements, and a transmitter in communication with the analog-to-digital converter. The transducers may operate to convert a first electrical energy into an ultrasound wave. The first electrical energy may or may not be beamformed. The transducers also may convert an echoed ultrasound wave into a second electrical energy. The analog-to-digital converter may convert the electrical energy into digital data, and the transmitter may transmit the digital data.

Claims

1. A device for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium, the device being a handheld probe, the device comprising:

an array of transducers;

a processor, the processor configured, at least in part, to process one or more ultrasound echo waves received by the array of transducers into digital data;

a transmitter, the transmitter configured, at least in part, to transmit the digital data representing the ultrasound echo waves received by the array to a main unit relatively remote from the handheld probe;

a power source for providing electrical energy to the processor; and

a power controller configured, at least in part, to adjust the electrical energy provided to the processor based, at least in part, on the digital data representing the ultrasound echo waves received by the array.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the digital data is transmitted wirelessly, the transmitted data is quantifiable by an amount and the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy based, at least in part, on the amount of the digital data transmitted.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter adjusts the transmission of the digital data based on a characteristic of the power source.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the characteristics of the power source includes at least one of the following:

capacity, type, charge state, power state, or age of power source.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the power source is a direct current source.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the direct current source is a battery.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the electrical energy includes the power controller reducing the electrical energy from the power source.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein he adjustment of the electrical energy includes the power controller increasing the electrical energy from the power source.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the electrical energy includes the power controller interrupting the electrical energy from the power source.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein a timer determines an amount of inactivity, and the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy based on a predetermined amount of the inactivity.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein an amount of inactivity is determined via a detection of motion of the medium, and the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy based on a predetermined amount of the inactivity.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface in communication with the power controller.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the user interface comprises at least one of the following:

a depressable button, a motion detector, an acceleration detector, a heat detector, or a microphone.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the user interface provides an indication of at least one of the following:

power status, designation of remote unit, type of remote unit, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, capability of the remote unit, quality of transmission of the digital data, quantity of errors in transmission of the digital data, availability of power required for transmission of the digital data, change in transmission rate, completion of transmission, quality of data transmission, transmission characteristics of s non-beamformed ultrasound wave, processing characteristics of the one or more echoed ultrasound waves, processing characteristics of the digital data, or transmission characteristics of the digital data.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy provided to at least one of the following:

the array of transducers or the transmitter.

16. The device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein the display displays time remaining before the power controller adjusts the electrical energy.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the array of transducers.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter communicates configuration information from a remote unit, and wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of the following:

power status, designation of device, type of device, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, capability of a remote unit, quality of transmission of the digital data, quantity of errors in transmission of the digital data, availability of power required for transmission of the digital data, change in transmission rate, completion of transmission, quality of data transmission, look-up tables, programming code for field programmable gate arrays and microcontrollers, transmission characteristics of a non-beamformed ultrasound wave, processing characteristics of the one or more echoed ultrasound waves, processing characteristics of the digital data, or transmission characteristics of the digital data.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the digital data using at least one of the following techniques:

optical, infrared, radio frequency, or ultrawideband frequency.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor in communication with the power controller, wherein the proximity sensor senses a proximity to a remote unit using at least one of the following techniques:

optical, infrared, capacitive, inductive, electrically conductive, or radio frequency.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy as a function of the proximity sensor.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy based on one or more characteristics of the digital data.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the power controller further adjusts the electrical energy based on a number of errors in the digital data.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the power controller is further configured to adjust the electrical energy provided to the processor by changing an activity of the processor.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the power controller is further configured to adjust the electrical energy provided to the processor by changing a clock rate of the processor.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein the power controller is further configured to adjust the electrical energy provided to the processor by causing the processor to enter at least one of the following states:

a reset state, an idle state, a sleep state, or a low-power state.

27. A method for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium, the method comprising:

receiving one or more ultrasound echo waves by an array of transducers of a handheld probe;

processing the one or more ultrasound echo waves into digital data with a processor of the handheld probe;

transmitting the digital data representing the ultrasound echo waves received by the array to a main unit relatively remote from the handheld probe;

providing electrical energy to the processor; and

adjusting the electrical energy provided to the processor based, at least in part, on the digital data representing the ultrasound echo waves received by the array.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the digital data is transmitted wirelessly, the transmitted digital data is quantifiable by an amount, and the method further comprising further adjusting the electrical energy based, at least in part, on the amount of the digital data transmitted.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising adjusting transmission of the digital data based on a characteristic of the electrical energy.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the characteristics of the electrical energy includes at least one of the following:

capacity, type, charge state, power state, or age of a power source.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the power source is a direct current source.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the direct current source is a battery.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein adjusting the electrical energy includes at least one of the following:

reducing the electrical energy, increasing the electrical energy, or interrupting the electrical energy.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining an amount of inactivity, and further adjusting the electrical energy based on a predetermined amount of the inactivity.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining an amount of inactivity via a detection of motion of the medium, and further adjusting the electrical energy based on a predetermined amount of the inactivity.

36. The method of claim 27, further comprising displaying an indication of at least one of the following:

power status, designation of remote unit, type of remote unit, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, capability of the remote unit, quality of transmission of the digital data, quantity of errors in transmission of the digital data, availability of power required for transmission of the digital data, change in transmission rate, completion of transmission, quality of data transmission, transmission characteristics of a non-beamformed ultrasound wave, processing characteristics of the one or more echoed ultrasound waves, processing characteristics of the digital data, and transmission characteristics of the digital data.

37. The method of claim 27, further comprising adjusting the electrical energy provided to the array of transducers or a transmitter.

38. The method of claim 27, further comprising displaying a time remaining before the adjustment of the electrical energy is to occur.

39. The method of claim 27, further comprising transmitting configuration information from a remote unit, and wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of the following:

power status, designation of device, type of device, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, capability of a remote unit, quality of transmission of the digital data, quantity of errors in transmission of the digital data, availability of power required for transmission of the digital data, change in transmission rate, completion of transmission, quality of data transmission, look-up tables, programming code for field programmable gate arrays and microcontrollers, transmission characteristics of a non-beamformed ultrasound wave, processing characteristics of the one or more echoed ultrasound waves, processing characteristics of the digital data, and transmission characteristics of the digital data.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein the digital data is transmitted using at least one of the following techniques:

optical, infrared, radio frequency, or ultrawideband frequency.

41. The method of claim 27, further comprising sensing a proximity to a remote unit using at least one of the following techniques:

optical, infrared, capacitive, inductive, electrically conductive, or radio frequency.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising further adjusting the electrical energy as a function of the proximity.

43. The device of claim 27, further comprising further adjusting the electrical energy based on one or more characteristics of the digital data.

44. The device of claim 27, further comprising further adjusting the electrical energy based on a number of errors in the digital data.

45. The method of claim 27, wherein the adjusting the electrical energy provided to the processor further includes changing an activity of the processor.

46. The method of claim 27, wherein the adjusting the electrical energy provided to the processor further includes changing a clock rate of the processor.

47. The method of claim 27, wherein the adjusting the electrical energy provided to the processor further includes causing the processor to enter at least one of the following states:

a reset state, an idle state, a sleep state, or a low-power state.